Staff Team Hears About Dental Practice Closure In Paper

Members of staff from a Cornish dental practice learned that they had lost their jobs after reading that the surgery had closed unexpectedly in the local press last week.

George House Dental Practice in Bodmin closed suddenly on Friday night and some members of staff only found out after reading a story published on the website of the Cornish Guardian. The closure left more than two thousand patients without an NHS dentist.

Bob Micek, former Mayor of Bodmin, was at the surgery with his wife on Friday and saw some of the nurses being told that they would not have a job come the start of the following week. Patients were ringing in after seeing the story in the local news and some were very angry about the sudden closure, which would leave them in the lurch.

Mr Micek said that it was obvious that members of the dental team knew that something was up, but they seemed to be under the impression that the practice would be sold and therefore there was a chance of them keeping their jobs. It appears that staff members were completely unaware of the financial situation until the story appeared online and eventually they were informed that the surgery would close at 5pm. Mr Micek said that one of the employees started crying and there was widespread confusion.

Representatives from NHS England have said that they will find alternative care for patients, with those in the middle of treatment given priority.